News from the Valley

Phooey, what is that smell?? There’s an endemic plant in New Zealand called stinkwood (Coprosma foetidissima) that is known for having a malodorous whiff. My first experience of smelling stinkwood leaves was at the nearby Orokonui Ecosanctuary with my friends. One of them very excitedly pointed out a plant, saying that the leaves, when crushed, smelled of bubble gum. He was up to tricks because the smell was actually closer to rotten eggs! This rotten egg/sulfur smell is produced by a chemical called methanethiol which is released when the leaves are crushed. With our habitat restoration project moving from …

June has seen the celebration and awareness of Pride worldwide. So what is Pride? Pride is a global movement and opportunity to raise awareness of the fight for equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, or other sexuality and gender diverse identities). It’s a celebration of diversity, acceptance, equality and people coming together to show how far LGBTQIA+ rights have actually come but also to acknowledge that there's still a lot more mahi to be carried out. Pride is being proud of who you are, love is love and why should anyone be …

When I first heard about the primeval invertebrates that are voracious predators with claws and a mouth lined with teeth, I was expecting some kind of large beastly creature. Peripatus, while not being large, probably do fit that description fairly well, but you might not think that just by looking at them. Braxton Mackenzie-White recently discovered them while looking through rotten logs and leaf litter for insects. As the dark was beginning to descend, he looked under the final log hoping to find some interesting small insects. As he was carefully turning the log over, he spotted something and …

Reid + Wolken performing at Grainstore Gallery, a popular quirky music venue in Oamaru as part of the Harbour Street Jazz & Blues Festival. Photo by Cindy Mottelet Local community member and jazz musician Alex Wolken, along with Ōtepoti Jazz alumni Karin Reid have an exciting new initiative underway. With the strain on performance spaces across Dunedin and the lack of intimate spaces showcasing artistically diverse and innovative range of jazz, Wolken and Reid have taken it upon themselves to fill that crucial gap with their new project the Albany Street Jazz Loft. The goal is to …

Take part in the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey!! 26 June to 4 July It’s coming up to a time of year that I love, when I wrap up warm and find a nice possie in my backyard to sit for an hour just watching and counting which birds come and visit. I also find it’s a great time to reflect on all of the other wonderful things about my backyard – the harakeke (flax) that when flowering attracts tūī and korimako (bellbirds) and the koromiko (hebe), which often has tauhou (silvereyes) and insects bouncing around it; or the …

Chew cards are one of the detection tools in our predator monitoring toolkit that help us to identify the presence of mammalian predators that might harm our native wildlife. Chew cards are made of plastic ‘corflute’ with many small channels that are filled with a peanut butter based (non-toxic) lure and can provide clues to help us to detect which mammalian predators are visiting our backyard. We can select the right trap to target specific species and. The great thing about chew cards is that they are easy to use and place in your backyard - using just a …

Have you noticed the new window decorations at the Valley Project Fred Hollows Room? They’re a little tricky for us to see but they light up brightly (like reflective strips on a bicycle or HiVis Vest) to birds flying past by reflecting UV light. These decals are designed to prevent window strike which can occur when birds perceive a direct line of sight through a window - either they see a reflection of trees or the sky or they can see directly through two windows. As well as placing UV window decals on your windows, the placement of your …

A NEW addition to the Valley Project team, a New Zealand Falcon, or kārearea in Te Reo Māori, can be found enhancing the entrance to the car park on North Road. This beautiful mural, painted by Bruce Mahalski from the Dunedin Museum of Natural Mystery signifies all of the amazing biodiversity found within the North East Valley and surrounding suburbs. His image is inspired by a photograph by Keith Payne. But, why the kārearea, and why is it so special? We have heard many stories from local community members remarking on the wonderful and fierce nature of the …

Open VUE will be propagating native plants from seed and cuttings collected right here in the Lindsay Creek Catchment! We are practicing a loose definition of the term, “Ecosourcing”. Ecosourcing strictly speaking means collecting wild seed from original source populations. Collecting seed from sources that have been growing here for hundreds or thousands of years will produce offspring that are more likely to survive as they have adapted to the local conditions. However, in the urban environment, this can be a little difficult. We would love any seed collected from original or regenerating forest or trees growing on properties …

LOCAL ŌTEPOTI Dunedin artists Nicola Hansby and Anna Perry, with the help of The Dunedin Dream Brokerage (DDB) and DCC Creative Communities Scheme, recently showcased their exhibition and workshops for ‘The Clothing Bin Art Project’. The project highlighted the issues of dumping unwanted items in our local areas. For Nicola this was specifically the Pine Hill Clothing Bin and for Anna, Caversham. Opening night. Photograph Mitch Frew I strolled down George Street excited to see the exhibit come to fruition. The window of the old Scottish shop was illuminated by a green zigzag, the symbol of an event associated …

A piece by Art Fibre Dunedin artist Chris Hely What is Fibre Art? The best, and most commonly used description, taken form wikipedia, seems to be that fibre art refers to an art form where the materials consist of natural or synthetic fibre and other components like fabric or yarn. It’s an art form that prioritises aesthetic value over utility, focusing on the materials and the effort put in by the artist. Pieces from Art Fibre Dunedin's latest exhibit. L-R: Pearl by Kate Grace, Victorian costume by Colleen Kelly, wall hanging by Viv Dwyer. Fibre art was a …

North East Valley and the surrounding suburbs are some of my favourite places to be in Dunedin. One of the reasons being the closeness to nature - I love stopping by the creek on my morning walk and watching the water rush by or seeing some birds feeding in a nearby tree. There’s a few trees in particular that I like to look out for on these walks too! The iNaturalist app has been super handy to help me identify and keep track of them all! Or for the child-friendly version, try Seek. Right next to the road at …